Taken by Storm

by Heather MacAllister

  “How dare you! Your sister should be grateful for the chance to have a Merriweather puppy!”

  “She may be, but I can’t ask her because she’s on a plane right now. So until I can, I want Casper back inside.” Zoey headed for the human door on the side of the building.

  Before she reached it, one of the dogs yelped, a horrible sound that made Zoey’s blood freeze.

  “Cleo!” Martha streaked past her out the door.

  Zoey ran after her, wondering if Martha was worried that Cleo had been hurt or had done the hurting.

  As soon as she spotted the dogs, Zoey searched for signs of red on a white coat. The dogs were circling each other warily before flinging themselves at each other on their hind legs in a snarling dance.

  “Casper!” Zoey darted toward him.

  Martha grabbed her arm. “They’re just playing.”

  Zoey shook off Martha’s hand. “It sounds like they’re going to bite each other’s head off.”

  “It’s part of the courtship.”

  “Well, I’m calling a time-out.” Zoey approached the gate to the enclosure.

  “Leave them alone!” Martha ordered.

  As Zoey watched, the dogs chased each other before Cleo stood her ground and snapped at Casper.

  Okay. That was it. “I want Casper out of there until I can talk to my sister.” Zoey tugged at the gate, but it was locked. She looked at Martha.

  “If you insist on separating them now, then there will be no second chance to breed with Cleo or any other Merriweather dog. Ever.” Martha’s grim face reminded Zoey of an evil witch casting a curse.

  Zoey hesitated.

  Don’t think. Her sister’s voice.

  Sometimes people have so much invested they’ll agree to a bad deal rather than walking away empty-handed. But sometimes, you’ve got to walk. Cam’s voice.

  “Unlock the gate.” As she said the words, Zoey knew she’d made the right decision.

  “As you wish.” Tight-lipped, Martha opened the gate and gestured Zoey inside.

  Great. Now how was she supposed to catch Casper? Obviously, she couldn’t depend on Martha to help her.

  The two dogs were running full-tilt alongside each other. For a moment, Zoey admired their rippling coats—until they ran straight toward her.

  “Casper!” Zoey jumped aside.

  He didn’t even slow. They ran right past Zoey, who whipped around in time to see them heading for Martha, who stood next to a wide-open gate.

  “Hey!” Zoey pointed. “They’re going to get out!”

  But as she watched first Cleo and then Casper streak through the opening, Zoey realized that was exactly what Martha had intended.

  “Don’t worry, the entire property is fenced,” Martha called as Zoey ran past her.

  “That’s no help!” she flung over her shoulder. “Casper! Come here!” she yelled, but the dogs were galloping away. Zoey jogged to a stop. No way was she going to catch them until they wanted to be caught.

  Her breath puffed white clouds in front of her, but Zoey was too upset to feel the cold. After spending days cooped up, Casper would be enjoying this chance to run free, even without a female in heat. But the clumps of grass beneath Zoey’s boots were hard, and the short, scrubby bushes were just waiting to claw at Casper’s silky coat.

  It was inconceivable that the owner of the legendary Merriweather Kennels would pull a stunt like this to take out the competition, but that’s the way it looked to Zoey. It would be a miracle if Casper escaped without injury.

  She already knew how the story would play out. Martha would claim it was an accident, and with the power of the Merriweather reputation behind her, people would believe her, especially because Zoey had no experience.

  Martha would blame her. Zoey could already write the script. “If you’d sent someone with any experience at all...”

  The dogs, so far away Zoey couldn’t tell which was which, stopped running, faced each other for several seconds and then abruptly took off back the way they’d come.

  “Casper!” Zoey patted her knees, hoping against hope that he’d come to her. “Come here, Casper!” she called frantically. “Treat! Want a treat? Chew toy! Come get a chew toy!”

  Without breaking stride, he raced past.

  Zoey gasped at his dirty legs and the grasses and twigs clinging to his coat.

  Cleo didn’t look any better, but Cleo wasn’t headed for a major dog show next week, was she?

  The dogs made another lap and again Zoey tried to get Casper to come to her.

  Martha had walked over to the side exercise yard where she’d put the other dogs. They’d started barking and carrying on when they saw Casper and Cleo running free. She wasn’t even attempting to corral Cleo.

  “Casper, come here!” Zoey screamed so loud her throat hurt, but he ignored her.

  A whistle pierced the air and both dogs stopped. It sounded again and Zoey heard a familiar voice call, “Casper!”

  “Cam?” He stood outside the enclosure by the front driveway.

  Casper galloped toward him and flung himself at the fence in an attempt to get to Cam.

  Cam knelt and fussed over Casper, giving Zoey a chance to run and grab his collar.

  “What are you doing here?”

  He stood. “I tried to call but your phone was off.”

  “I never plugged it in. But you’re supposed to be at your meeting!”

  “Never mind that. Are you okay? Is Casper okay?”

  “I’m fine.” She looked down at the panting dog. “He seems fine, too. His coat’s trashed, though. But why did you come back?”

  Cam looked over her shoulder, and Zoey heard footsteps approaching. “I met Alexandra of Thebes.”

  * * *

  ZOEY SAT IN the back of the SUV with Casper and picked bits and pieces of Yakima Valley landscape out of his coat.

  Martha had offered Zoey some of Merriweather’s “Rescue Coat.” When she’d refused, the older woman had handed Zoey back the gift basket and predicted that some of the debris would have to be cut out. She didn’t appear all that broken up about it, either.

  And speaking of broken up... Cam had torpedoed his meeting to rescue her, so not only had Zoey caused a disaster for Kate, but also Cam. Two at once. How very efficient of her.

  Yeah. She was a real success at being a failure.

  She heard a faint beeping sound. Oh, goody. Her phone was charged. Now she could tell Kate the news.

  Cam unplugged it from the cigarette lighter and silently passed the phone, cord and all, to her.

  Then he plugged his own phone in to charge. “I have video.”

  It was the first either of them had spoken for an hour. Zoey had been so upset, she’d been afraid she’d say things she didn’t mean. Or things she did mean but shouldn’t say. Cam had related the whole story, but in the end it came down to Cam riding to the rescue because he didn’t believe Zoey could handle the situation on her own. Well, she’d handled it, but maybe not the way Kate would have.

  “I don’t have to see the video. I believe you.” That wasn’t the point.

  “Your sister might need to see it.”

  “So she won’t hate me forever? Cam to the rescue again.”

  “Zoey.” He exhaled. “This wasn’t—”

  “Don’t you dare say it wasn’t my fault!”

  His eyes met hers in the rearview mirror before flicking toward the road. “This wasn’t a rescue and it wasn’t completely about you. Not only were they committing fraud, Casper could have been hurt. Even knowing that, I kept driving, reminding myself that you’d be there watching and were smart enough to sense when something was wrong. But you could have been hurt protecting Casper. And Zoey, if that had happened, I wouldn’t have been able to
live with myself. There was no way I’d be in the best frame of mind for meeting with a shark like Richard. So I made the choice to turn around. I knew how it would seem to you, and I knew you’d be mad, but I chose to come back to give you information you needed. And I’d expect you to do the same for me.”

  “As though you’ll ever need rescuing.”

  “Not a rescue,” he insisted. “It’s called working together, being there for each other, lightening the load, supporting—”

  “Okay, I get it.”

  “I hope so.” Cam pulled the car onto a dirt road marked by a colorful wooden sign advertising the hops farm. “Because I hate all these rules and secret tests you have to determine how you value yourself. It’s like walking through a minefield and being afraid that at any second something will blow up in my face. I don’t want the responsibility for your self-esteem. I believe in you, but that doesn’t matter if you don’t believe in yourself.”

  “Cam!” Zoey felt as though she’d been slapped in the face with a wet washcloth.

  “What?”

  Yeah, what? “I—I don’t know what to say.”

  “You didn’t think I could get mad? I get mad.”

  In the mirror, she saw him scowl. “It doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”

  Just when she thought she couldn’t feel worse, he said those horrible, awful things to her. And the reason they were horrible and awful was because they were true.

  Zoey stared out the window at miles of bare metal arches waiting to support the next season of hops. “I’m a mess.”

  “Yeah, but you’re my mess.”

  He said it with such a gruff tenderness that Zoey burst into tears. “I don’t deserve you,” she wailed. “And you don’t deserve to get stuck with me!”

  “Zoey,” he said in a strange voice. “Would you mind if I convince you you’re being totally ridiculous later?”

  “What?” She sniffed.

  They were approaching a metal building. Cam gestured to a blue sedan bearing a local airport’s logo. “Richard is still here.”

  * * *

  AFTER TEN MINUTES, Cam wished Richard hadn’t still been there. Clearly, he’d stayed only to embarrass and berate Cam any way he could. He hadn’t changed much from the unpleasantly arrogant student Cam remembered. He’d had his teeth fixed, wore expensive clothes and probably worked out with a trainer, but until he had a personality transplant, all the money in the world wouldn’t make people enjoy his company.

  The way things were going, Cam wouldn’t have been surprised if Richard had dumped Cam’s samples in the trash in front of him, so instead, Cam had presented the box to Don, the farm’s manager, who appeared genuinely pleased.

  Don had taken the box and moved away, discreetly giving them the illusion of privacy, but Cam knew Richard’s voice carried in the cavernous area.

  Richard knew it, too. He continued to speak in a voice loud enough to echo as he methodically criticized every aspect of MacNeil’s Brewery.

  At least they were outside now, moving toward Richard’s car. Cam checked the SUV and saw that it was empty. Zoey must be walking Casper.

  Richard was making a show of putting on driving gloves. They were probably expensive. Cam didn’t know and didn’t care.

  “At first, I was willing to drop a generous amount of cash into your brewery in return for my own private-label beer. After you missed our initial meeting, I wasn’t feeling quite so generous, although it did give me the opportunity to do a little research.”

  “Yes. My cousin told me.”

  “Your cousin was rude to my team.”

  “Your team didn’t inform anyone they were coming.”

  “I find surprise visits yield more information,” Richard said with irritating condescension. Did he want people to hate him?

  “And this morning I found myself with time to act on that information.” Richard finished putting on his gloves and gave Cam a small, smug smile. “I do hate to waste time, and since you didn’t appear interested in meeting with me, I bought the Beer Barn.”

  “You’re the one who bid on their tanks?” Cam should have known.

  “Yes. And then I thought, just buy the whole place. So I did.”

  Richard was watching for Cam’s reaction, but he was determined not to show his disappointment. “Congratulations. It’s a popular spot.” But it won’t stay that way with you in charge.

  “You were in negotiations to brew the house beer, I understand.”

  “Which you’ll want to be your private label.” Now it wouldn’t be a MacNeil’s brew, which was a disappointment, but Cam could live with that.

  “Absolutely. I want there to be a guaranteed supply, and your brewery is on shaky ground. However, I’m still willing to allow you to supply the beer on the condition that I install my own management team.” He handed Cam a piece of paper outlining his terms and the amount he was willing to invest.

  The money was more than Cam had dreamed, but that team would make Cam’s life miserable. Which was, of course, exactly what Richard had intended.

  Cam regretted ever approaching him. “Thank you, and we’ll consider your offer—”

  “The offer is only valid until I get into the car.” Richard was clearly enjoying this. “And, Cam, if you want to remain in business, you should take it.”

  Richard blipped the lock on the car and started to walk toward it when something caught his attention. He stared, his eyes unblinking.

  Cam turned, and there was Zoey with Casper. The dog was surprisingly show-worthy, considering the condition of his fur when he’d left Merriweather. But Zoey...Zoey was a vision. She’d left off her coat and must be cold, but she sure looked hot. She wore a sweater that hugged her curves, curves Cam was intimately familiar with. The sun haloed the same glossy hair that had curtained them when they’d made love. Her jeans fit snugly over her thighs and were tucked into her boots. Both he and Richard watched her hips sway hypnotically as she walked toward them, but Cam was the only one who wondered if she was wearing turquoise underwear. He didn’t want to know what Richard was thinking. When she got closer, she flashed Cam a blindingly brilliant smile that dazzled him momentarily, and then she directed it at Richard, who probably short-circuited.

  She glanced inquiringly at Cam. “Is this Richard? The one you said was smarter than all your friends put together?” She passed Cam Casper’s leash.

  “Cam said that?” Richard blinked, clearly pleased.

  No, Cam had not said that.

  “I’m Zoey.” She stuck out her hand. “Skin Garden Organic Skin Care?” Richard nodded as though he’d heard of it.

  They shook hands, but then Zoey grasped his in both of hers and drew it dangerously close to her chest—a fact Richard couldn’t help but notice. Cam certainly did.

  “It’s my fault we’re late. We were doing a product demo at Merriweather Kennels—you’ve heard of them? They raise champion Afghan hounds, such as Casper here.”

  They all looked down at Casper, who sat regally, as though a couple of hours ago he hadn’t been running about like a wild thing. In fact, one side of him was still covered in grass and twigs.

  “It’s obvious on which side we used Skin Garden Hair Silk,” Zoey said.

  Cam happened to know she’d in fact soaked all of Casper in it.

  “I see,” Richard said.

  “Anyway, it took longer than I thought and I am so, so, so sorry we made you wait.” With each “so” she bounced Richard’s hand.

  “Cam probably blamed himself, but you mustn’t listen to him because it was totally my fault.” She tilted her head to one side and gazed at Richard imploringly. “Can you forgive me?”

  “Of—of course.” Richard patted her clasped hands, bringing the entire hand bundle into the red zone.

  “Oh,
thank you!” Distracting him with another dazzling smile, she extracted herself from Richard’s grasp.

  Very smoothly done.

  For the next several minutes, she flattered and flirted with Richard as she chatted about expanding her product line to include the use of hops and spent grain.

  Noon came and went.

  She asked Richard’s advice and hung on his answers as though he imparted the secrets of the universe. She was being so obvious; Richard surely could see he was being played.

  But apparently not.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Campbell.” A man in a uniform approached Richard. “To maintain your schedule in Seattle, we must depart immediately.”

  Richard blinked as though coming out of a trance. Cam understood how he felt.

  “Oh, do you have to go?” she asked, looking adorably devastated.

  Richard nodded, looking a little devastated, himself. “I wish I could stay and give you more advice.”

  “You’ve already given me so much to consider,” Zoey said with a straight face.

  Richard turned to Cam. “I need your answer.”

  Had he noticed that Cam had not said one word since Zoey appeared? “Richard has agreed to invest, but only if he can run the place,” he told her.

  “That’s not—” Richard began.

  “Oh, no!” Zoey looked shocked and upset. Maybe she actually was. Cam was pretty shocked and upset, come to think of it.

  She glanced at Richard, and then back at Cam and shook her head. “That’s not going to work for me.”

  “I wasn’t aware—” Richard began.

  “Richard,” she interrupted. “Cameron and I have reached a preliminary agreement—you remember how we were just talking about a skin-care line using beer byproducts?”

  “Yes.”

  “I want to source exclusively from MacNeil’s Highland Beer brewery, but not if it’s going to be run by someone who isn’t on site.” She gazed regretfully at Cam. “I’ve worked with companies like that and it’s a nightmare having to get approval for every little thing. I won’t do it again.”